democracynow.org 02/10/20 02/10/20 >[captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! untoldre descendents of stories in the united states and in the world. a colonizedhter of people in puerto rico, to be descendents of people who were placed in bondage by the powerful in the united states, to be a palestiniaian woman, t e a a child who rose from the

ravages of war, we tell stories and truths that are uncomfortable. amy: today, an hour with the squad. in a rare joint interview, congresswomen alexandria ocasioortez, ilhan omar, rashida tlaib, and ayanna pressley sit down with democracy now!'s nermeen shaikh to talk about resistance, protesting president trump, reshaping u.s. foreign policy, and their remarkable personal histories. >> i need people to understand the link between the humanitarian crisis at the border and babies being ripped from their mother's arms and what happened in my household and millions of american households when my father was in and out of the criminal system for 14 years for being an addict. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

the death toll from coronavirus continues to soar, now topping 90900, and ovevertaking the glol death toll from the deadly sars outbreak in 2002 and 2003. in wuhan, the epicenter of the disease, the first deaeath of a u.s. citizenen was recdeded last weweek. 60 new cases were identified on a cruise ship docked in yokohama, japan, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 135 on the ship alone. around 3700 people have been quarantitined aboard thehe ship since last monday. the 2020 democratic candidates are campaigning in new hampshire as voters are set to cast the primaries' first ballots tuesday. the iowa democratic party finally allocated delegates to the candidates after chaos and sunday confusion following last week's caucuses caused major delays in reporting the results. former south bend, indiana, mayor pete buttigieg received the largest delegate count, 14, followed closely by senator bernie sanders, who received 12

delegatetes and who receceed around 6000 more popular votes. the sanders campaign said they will seek a partial recanvass. the iowa democratic party said friday it was extending the deadline to request a recanvass to 1:00 p.m. eastern today. during a debate friday, abc news moderator linsey davis questioned buttigieg about the rise in arrests of black people during his tenure as mayor o of south bend, indiana. >> the reality is, on my watch, drug arrests and south bend were lower than the national average. the overall rate was lower -- >> no, there was an increase. the your before you were in office, it was lower. the last number we have a record for, the number was still up. >> one of the strategies our community adopted was to target when there were cases where there was gun violence and gang violence, which w was slalaughtg

so many in our community. amy: msnbc host chris matthews is being ridiculed on social media after he lashed out at senator sanders during a panel following the debate, evoking cuban leader fidel castro and suggesting the democratic socialisist candidate sanders mighght support public executio. >> i rememember the cold warar. red ilieve castro and the wons the cold war, there would be executions and i might have been one of the ones getting executed and certain others would be there cheering, ok? i have a problem with people who together size. i don'n't know who bernie suppos . i don't know what he means by socialism. amy: president trump is set to unveil his 2021 budget request today. ththe nearly budget would incree $5 trillion military spending while cutting medicare and medicaid, seeks $2 billion for construction of trump's border wall, and slashes epa spending by 26%.

axios is reporting he will also reququest nearly $50 billion for new the weapons programs. experts and democratic lawmakers warn that increasing the nuclear stockpile will increase the likelihood of nuclear war and defy international agreements. the u.s. military said to u.s. soldiers were killed and another injured in afghanistan's nangarhar province saturday after a gunman opened fire on the soldiers. an afghan soldier was also killed in the attack. this comes as the u.s. and the taliban are in the midst of ongoing peace nenegotiations. the last round of talks between the two parties was called off by president trump last september after a car bomb killed a u.s. soldier. president trtrump fired two key witnesses from the house impeachment proceedings friday -- the national security council's lieutenant colonel alexander vindman and u.s. ambassador to the european union gordon sondland. a trump adviser said the move was intended to send a message to anyonone considerering opposg

trump. reresidents of the northeastern thai city of nakhon ratchasima are grieving after thailand suffered its worst mass shooting saturday. a soldier killed at least 29 people and injured scores more during a 16-hour rampage. the gunman began his shooting spree on a military base before taking to the streets, then attacking shoppers at a mall. he was eventually shot and killed after a shootout with thai forces. the attack reportedly was -- the shooter posted videos of the attack on facebook live. the videos and his account were later removed. in brazil, the hitman suspected of being involved in the assassination of rio de janeiro councilmember and activist marielle franco has been killed by police. adriano da nobrega was an ex-special forces police captain and had close ties to the family of brazil's far-right president, jair bolsonaro. it was believe he held key information about franco's murder. marielle franco was a vocal black lgbtq rights activist and

a longtime critic of police brutality. the thermostat hit 65 degrees in antarctica last thursday -- its hottest day on record. the antarctic is one of the fastest warming parts of the planet. 2019 was the second hottest year ever recorded, a and the last decade was the hottest on record. back in the united states, 11 climate titivistfrom extitition rellilionere arrested fday as t g group staged a d-i-in anoccucupi the office oththe neyorkrk ste compololler calall tentioioto the clime e cris. the titivistare e dending g w york divivest pensions frorom fl fuel invtments. >> the neworork ste billion inkeeps $13 exxon and other fossil elel compies. and th contribes to th destction of le. y: the protest ok place in the capitaof new yk, albany. geortown unirsity habecome the latest college to announce it will divest from fossil fuels. the move came after lengthy campaigning from the student group georgetown university

fossil free and has sparked cacalls for other universities o follow suit. labor rights activists celebrated the house passage of a new bill thursday they say is a major step forward in ensuring workers's' rights and promomotia more sustainable economy. the protecting the right to organize act, or pro act, would strengthen unions' bargaining power and defend the right to strike, penalize companies that go after wororkers who organize, and weaken so-called "right-to-work" laws that allow workers to opt out of paying dues to unions. the bill is expected to face stiff resistance in the repupublican-controlled senate. "the washingngton post" has revealaled president t trump's businesses have beenen charging the secret service up to $650 per night t for hotel rooms at s luxury properties, despite past claims that ththe trump organization does not profit from government employees staying at its properties. meanwhile, a federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit by democratic lawmakers friday that accused donald trump of violating the emoluments clause of the constitution through his businesses. the lawsuit alleges foreign governments and other entities

patronize the trump international hotel in washington, d.c., in order to curry favor with the president, putting other businesses at a disadvantage. the state of new york is planning to sue the trump administration over its move to bar new yorkers from certain trusted traveler programs, including global entry, as retaliation for new york's pro-immigrant green light law. the law allows undocumented people to apply for driver's licenses while protecting their personal information from immigration agencies. the former ceo of an investment firm was sentenced to nine months in prison for bribing his children's way into elite universities. it is the longest sentence yet of any parent involved in the college admissions scandal known as "operation varsity blues." prosecutors say douglas hodge, ex-ceo of pacific investment management co., or pimco, paid $850,000 in bribes to get four of his children into usc and georgetown university as fake athletic recruits. in canada, protests and solidarity actions took place across the country as the

canadian police continued their raidonon we'sut' land in british coluiaia. indigenousanand denders ar fighting the conruructioof trananada's 400-mi-long, $4.7 billion cststal glinknk pipeli.. at least 21 opople he bebeen arrested scece theaid d sttedd thurayay. this is a landnd defder nfronting armed lilice offifice. here for humity, for life. we are unarmed were peacefu u are kille! you argenocida mancs! you haveour gunsointed a us. amy:he last mber of t move 9 was reased from nnsylvan prison iday. 59ear-old uck simsfrica spt 41 yea behind rs. ne membe of the dical black liration, anti-pice-brutity groumove

we convict in the 78 killing philadehia poli ofcer jameramp. since 18, sevemembers ve be releaseon parol twothers dd behindars. and in entertainment news, south korean film "parasite" has become the first non-english language film to win the academy award for best picture. the film has been widely praised for taking a critical look at capitalism. "parasite" director bong joon-ho also made history as the first korean director to win an oscar. new zealand filmmaker taika waititi became the first indigenous director and first maori director to win an oscar for the film "jojo rabbit." hosts and artists called out the lack of diversity in the year's nominations. this is steve martin and chris rock delivering the opening monologue. >> so many great directors nominated this year. >> i don't know, i thought there was something missing from the list this year. >> vaginas? >> yeah.

cynthia did such a great job in "harriet" hiding black people that the academy got her to hide all of the black nominees. [laughter] >> i loved you in "dolemyte." well, you know questar, think how much of the oscars have changed in the past 92 years. >> they changed a lot. >> 1929, there were no black acting nominees. >> and a 2020, we got one. amy: singer and actor janelle monae took to the stage as the opening musical act of the night. >> ♪ amy: "oscars so what" she said.

meanwhile, actor natalie portman wore a dress with the names of female directors who were not nominated for an oscar embroidered on a cape. the academy remains 68% male and 84% white. other winners include mathew cherry f the aniteted sht " hair lov which cebrates natural ir and "erican factory"ook on best documenty. anthose arsome of e headnes. th is demoacy now! demoacynow.o, the waand ace repo. i'm amy goman. turn noto a demracy now specia a rare int ininrview with theququad. that ithe grouof four freshm democrac coresswomewho haveaken pitol hi by stor-- ilhan omar of minnesota, alexandria ocasio-cortez of new york, ayanna pressley of massachusetts, and rashida tlaib of michigan. ilhan omar and rashida tlaib are first muslim women elected to congress. ilhan omar is a former refugee

from somalia. tlaib is the first female palestinian-american member of congress. ayanna pressley is the first african-american woman elected to congress from massachusetts. and alexandria ocasio-cortez was just 29 years old when she took office last year, making her the youngest woman to serve in congress. born to a mother from puerto rico and a father from the south bronx, aoc has emerged as one of the most popular lawmakers in the country. all four members of the squad have been active on the presidential campaign trail. ayanna pressley has backed elizabeth warren. lastly, ocasio cortez and pressley boycotted president trump's state of the union. rashida tlaib walked out during the speech. ilhan omar stayed for the speech saying "my presence tonight is resistance." on friday, democracy now!'s nermeen shaikh sat down with all four members of the squad at an

at inat howard university event organized by the rising majority. amy: it is a great pleasure and honor to be here with the squad and on behalf of the rising majority and also democracy now! i would like to thank you all and give you a warm wewelcome. todayare speaking following an absolutely extrtraordinary w week in amerin politics witith trump resenting his state ofof the union addres. just before his impeachment trial concluded with the senate acquitted him. -- acquitting him. i want to ask each of the about the response to the senate vote but also the decision that each of you took individually about attending his third and possibly last state of the union.

state of the unit address. congress member omar, if you could begin? you actuaually attended the stae of the unit address and you said it was an act of resistance. >> good afternoon, everyone. it is wonderful to be here and have this opportunity to share the stage with my sisters in the struggle. decision to attend, one, because i represent 708,000 constituents and i felt it was presentt not to only be on their behalf, but also to be present and physically present on behalf of many of the marginalized identitities that i represenent that are constantly being attackeded by this presidt

. i felt like being in that room showing him that no matter how decides to speak about us in the most hateful ways, we are resilient. and we will not be disregarded. of a felt like i was part movement of people who made the decision pressley to send me to congress would actually be a catcher narrative to his existence in the white house, and i needed to be present for them. member tlaib?ess >> it was a hugege struggle fore because i i don't think people realize it i is worse when you'e actually there versus -- no, it really is. there were moments of triggering

and i kept holding your hand and we intentionally sat next t to eaeach other to supporort each tother, but i remember talking sister ohana and i was on my way to d.c. and i said, i don't know what to do. there inant to not be his face like i'm not going anywhere, you're going somewhere. and for me at that moment i said, but also i don't know about wearing white because i mean, the suffrage movement did not -- they include the brown, black women. it was hard for me. i remember it hondas like, well, where something else. i was like, well, i'm going to stoal.palestinian [applause] i love that. then when i went, we went to go celebrate ayanna's bibirthday in her office and i think her cheap

sarah's -- i'm like, i'm naruggling as you said ayan said there is no right or wrong way to protest. i was like, i'm going to support anybody that wants to be there, doesn't want to be there, but it is kind of a big, i'm not going anywhere, i'm right here and just even being there and not standing up in moments where he is enabling white supremacy and all of those moments most of it again, i could not sit through some of it and we ended up leaving, especially when they whenwent full out applause they put that metal around -- medal around rush. there was a 97-yearar-old man wo was a guest of another colleague who has been working really hard to try to get the medal of freedom for this man who survived nazi germany. he invented something to do with

solar, profound accomplishment to profound strength, things we need to be celebrating in our country. and he watched i in the galleryo thesomebody like that get medal of freedom when he is sitting there just like, i have done all of these things in my life, survivived all of this, ad he did it in this beautiful, gracious way even after all he has been through. it was a very difficult time i think for me even being there. at one moment, she is like him are you ready? and i was like, yeah, girl, let's go. we got out of there. i think it is so much worse in person. nermeen: congressmember ocasio-cortez? you boycotted. ayanna and i both decided not to attend. as she says, there is no right or wrong way to protesest.

whetether we attended or did not attend, all of us showed up in that same spirit of resistance to a culture of right supremacy -- white supremacy into the concentration of power, the authoritarianism, this administration. personally, i did not want to i was reallye wrestling between these things but what i really saw in this moment was the p president tryig to use state ceremony and state power to legitimize the illegitimate. we all have this question of how do we undercut that? and whether it is showing up and looking at him in the eye is the very thing that he detests and b that resistance like, yeah, i'm here, deal with the fact that haveg members of congress

power in the united states were to decide to sit out and say, i don't want my presence to be here. and also part of resistance is protecting herself sometimes and protecting your space. i went last year. he is not all that. >> tell them, alex. >> much less in person than on television as well. i just did knowledges that. ultimately, we knew what was going to come. we knew it was going to be ,acist, islamaphobic, classist history denying. i just did not feel like legitimizingvening that for entntertaining it. again, there is no wrong way to protest. and for me, that is kind of -- that is where i sat with it. but it was a struggle because do

you choose to be in that space or do you choose not to be in that space? either way, you're doing it in the same spirit and you are doing it with the same rationale and intention. nermeen: compass member pressley . when it i want to say arrived at the decision and had wrestled with it like all of my sisters in service and the struggle up here, but ultimately, it is like, one, our very existence is the resistance . secondly, the resistance is also about the fact that we occupy these congressional seats, forget about a seat on the house floor. and then finally, i did not need to go there to know how he feels about me and our folk. it was a sham of the state of the union. following the sham of a trial.

the occupant at this white house has contempt for the american congressor the role of as a coequal branch, as checks and balance, contempt for our constitution. so it was a sham of a state of the union to me. the other thing is that i did not want to give anyone the again co-opto once our imagery and to weaponize it. so i could go there and raise an mug and do mean that. and i did not want them to take that and make it into memes. i already know how he feels , and i didd our folk not want anyone speculating about how i felt.

i wanted to control my own narrative, my own image -- which is why i did do or have the honor ofof delelivering g the wg families party response. [applause] know thee already state of the union. it is incomplete chaos and disarray. i wanted to speak to the state of the movement. [applause] hell.is strong as but i also want to underscore that again however our dissent shows up, the fact is we are to fencing in a way that is authentic to us. we are not a monolith. we ampmplify and supportrt each other however we chose to show up in the resistance test choose to show up in the resistance. i cannot believe the folks were saying, you're not going to thee state of ththe union?

that is your job. we want our money back because i did not show up to work i would be docked pay. well, talk to the city because they have not been doing their job this whole congress. amy: congress memberers ayanna pressley, regina italy, alexandria ocasio-cortez, and ilhan omar. we will continue with the interview in a moment. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, i'm amy goodman. rare jointo our interview with the squad. compass member ilhan omar, alexandria ocasio-cortez, ayana pressley, and rashida tlaib. nermeen shaikh spoke to them on friday at howard law school at an event organized by the rising majority. nermeen: your very presence constitutes a form of resistance and of protest. and that is one of the most remarkable things about your injury in a congress -- entry into congress. it is a transformative moment in american politics because suddenly, the social justice activism and the resistance that you all represent moved from outside the corridors of power

to the very center of state power. so if you could talk a little about how you think that movement has altered the effects.e and also its i'm afraid i will begin with you again. >> do we not choose who goes first? [laughter] 2016 wasor many of us, an election year where we were going to decide what kind of country we were going to be. that on o oneear side, there was someone running presented a anho only to ourdanger not

democracy, but to the very lives of the american people. rununning for the firstst time state,te rep in my home and i remember on election night stayed a little too long after my results came in and we unfortunately learn what the state of our country was going to be. saying to the young people who are in this that i could them, that the hateful founde he was delivering partners in the hearts of so many americans to be able to now become successful in the

election. moment reallythat for many of us, there was decision that we had to make. to takeon on whether and receive everything that was resist, happen or restore, and reimagine what could be possible. really andpresence our elections for not only to thatt the harmful policies are coming from this administration that have now b but it is to, restore hope. it is to restore american values. generations ofe

what could have been possible, and to reimagine the ameririca that w we all know we deserve. know, quite you excited, actually, about the kind of opportunities we h have been presented because of the current challenges we have. verymeone who has had a challenging life, i always find an opportunity in every challenge. and i know at this moment, we see had an opportunity to broken system reveal

itself. we have had an opportunity for what theyrecognize are not only losing, but what they could gain.n. we have had an opportunity to allow for the racists and the to fully tellots on themselves. and we have had an opportunity for people never really imagined themselves fully powerful in the recognizeof power to that they could nonot be muzzle, intimidated, and silence, that we are not ever going to be dismissed unless we allow ourselves to be dismissed. [applause] that ournk the shock presence really has brought is

that for too long, people have gotten used to having mediocre white men show up and think they own the day without anybody ever ,uestioning their credentials their qualifications, and their visision for a broken america. haveor the first time, you apologetic,ould be who should feel small -- who might visibly be small -- who ,ome in a and know ththeir place ununderstand their powower, fuly neverute their vision, and shaken by the

insecurities that many who thought they were powerful feel now that their power is challenged. like people feel are often wondering, if you've challenges,hese ilhan, how do you continue? or why do you all feel like you to write in your controversies? and it is because we don't live in controversy. struggle fornstant the truth and we live in constant strugglgle i in remakig america in its image of freedom and l liberty for a all.

not the e imagofof the past, but the image of what the future of america should look like. nermeen: whoever feels inspired to respond, please do. ani think ilhan broughtht up excellent point, which is the reaction. either way, i think to each ofof our respecective electionsns. i don't think it is a thatidence or ann accident we are descendents of untold stories in the united states and in the world. amy: congressmember alexandria ocasio-cortez. >> to be descendents of people who were placed in bondage by the powerful in the united states, to be a palestinian woman, to be a child who rose from the ravages of war. we tell stories and truths that

are uncomfortable and are very existence -- our very existence of descendents of discomfort were uncomfortable stories were rather they are uncomfortable to be told today. there is still m much effort put in to not tell these stories. and now we have got -- now we have been elected on a mandate to tell this truth. reaction.reates a and it is either intensely liberating if the story in any way was part of your story or a story that you want to be told ouout of allied ship, or it is incredibly uncomfortable because perhaps s it forces some folks o hold up a mirror they don't want. and i think that is a big part of the energy. but to the question of what is it like to kind of cross that threshold when you're used to

being on the outside, having to speak loudly so anyone will hear your voice, to crossing the threshold into the i inside, i think it is a challenging balance because when you'rere inside, the word is just always compromise and you have to a just compromise and what is compromising your identity, who you are in ththe vevery essence of your being? it is not just questions with to navigate individually, but russianans riffffed to navigate as a movemt because we are not used to winning in this way. and now we have a power that is .omewhat novel electorally and we have to learn how to wield that. and that is where accountability from the outside is the most

important because you all helped show is the way. amy: congressmember rashida tlaib. >> we are unapologetically ourselves. one of the things as growing up in detroit, which is the most beautiful, blackest city in the country, is we birth movements. there is this new era of social justice movement about, yeah, you're going to organize in the streets. let me tell you, i grew up hearing people like paisley box and everybody that said, don't wait for someone to introduce things in the halls of congress or wait until the white house wakes up. we transform our country by movement work outside of the halls of conongress and the whie house. so believe in that because that is exactly what we have done. what is incredible about my sisters appear and all of us is corporate one dime of dollars. we ran with no corporate pac

money. about ourking immigrant stories, our backgrounds, our parents. abouttime ayanna talks her mother, i tear up. we talk about these forms of ocean that we have a all gone through in our lives, in our workplaces, and everything. we ran just as we are with nobody commenting and try -- they tried. i'm like, no, i don't want your money. i will be just like this. not only in the halls of congress, i'm going to tell you, even in detroit politics, they're like, oh, my god, rashida won. yeah, i'm going to push back against you spending money on a hockey center downtown when a few blocks away there is a school with no drinking water, literally shutting down the drink and fountains. it is also the fact that on the transformative change that was

happening organizing the streets of detroit, all of the sudden just reached the halls of congress, right? leaving that movement. you are part of this new era that understands it. we are always -- i hate when they say outside. we are in extension. we are such an extension of what you all are doing. you will give us credibility. when i'm yelling about something you're all like, no, that is actually hapappening t to me. just said is true. you just gave corporate textile dollars to billionaire and downtown detroit is been investigated for mortgage fraud while you're taking my children away, taking my children away because i can't pay my water because it is unaffordable because you say i'm neglecting but you will spend money on a for-profit entity of foster care that is helping the private sector but you won't help me feed my babies. , everywant you to know time we hear your stories, every time you're out there pushing back, you all uplift what we are doing and died.

we are you. i just hope you believe that. please, god, because i don't want to spend a long time the re. it's true. run for office. run for congress. run. amy: congresswoman pressley . s so i just -- i h have been ruminating a lot on a sermon that a feed leader in my district gave not long ago. leader in my district gave not long ago. he talks about moment, movement, and momentum. and i just want to say it is like very tempting to think that in our righteousness, that we are in a moment that is ususherg in a new movement. now, i don't know how long it takes a pebble to travel from

the diaspora, the african diaspora all the way to chicago and then to boston and then to d.c. -- that is my life journey. but i am just telling you that we are actually in the momentut. and what i mean by that is, in the way that we are intentional about bringing our ancestors into spaces, i have got to bring people like barbara lee and maxine waters. yes.did not -- you know, there is a paradigm shift occurring, but there have been women before us, women of color before us, black women table,us who shook the who called the question, who thought justice, who were the truth tellers, who preserved our democracy, and we are simplply

honoring and trying to be good stewards of the gand then finale are o often characterized as beg disruptive. now, if we were in silicon valley, we would be called innovators. [applause] yes, yeah, we aree disrupupters. we are innovators. contrary to the pupublic opinion of many, we are a actually patriotsts because dissent is te ultimate patriotism. [applause] amy: congresswomen ayana pressley, rashidat, alexandria ocasio-cortez, and ilhan omar. we will continue the conversation conducted by nermeen shaikh, and already seconds. ♪ [music break]

amy: from the soundtrack of the movie "parasite." this is democracy now!, i'm amy goodman. we return to a rear joint interview with the squad, congress woman ilhan omar of minnesota, alexandria ocasio-cortez of new york, ayanna pressley of massachusetttts, and rashida tlb of michigan. nermeen shaikh spoke to them. she began by asking questions to aoc. nermeen: i want to ask what you think the global significance of

what you're doing here in the u.s. is. i remember many years ago outside the u.s., of course, a joke being told repeatedly that everyone on the planet should be allowed to vote in the american election because the person who is elected president here is effectively the president of the entire world. and obviously, the policies that are formulated here have effects far beyond the borders of this country. so in this sense, each of you, and also because of your origins -- origins, as you said, in suffering and exclusion and in the silencing of those stories -- that you all also represent not only the hope of change here, but also the hope of change everywhere, especially in the global south.

so i wanted to asksk what youu think a more benign american power might look like. >> there are principles and paradigm shifts that we know we need to make. i think k at is something th all of u us feel consciously or subconsciously. we need to move away from foreign policy as ilhan work so difficult -- i mean so diligently to do. it is a difficult task, but we need to move away from a paradigm of imperialism, colonialism -- [applause] myself, late stage hyper capitalism. [applause] consensus isf something that i won us all to be more aware of domestically and internationally. when we tooth the horn of

bipartisanship in common ground, too often that consensus, the grounds of that consensus are in war,, and theof expansion of the unconscionable concentration of wealth, for not just the very few but also just corporate and industrial interest. corporate and industrial interest. that is not just a domestic shift, that is a global shift. and whether it is s here abrbro, inin our policies toward native cocommunities, whether it is trampling over native land to put gas pipelines because of fluent companies don't want them, whether it is s my family back home in p puerto rico who s dominated by an oppressed by this administration yet has nevever been able to vote in a federal election and doesn't have feet on the floor of

congress, oror whether it is abroad in the vast footprint of war or the assistance of other western forms of colonialism -- i think k ese are coconversatios that we have to center and discuss.s. i can't speak to how we are symbolically in the world. that is too big of a thing for me to consider. but i do know how i try to think of it is from a place of faith in that there is global struggle. i have faith in that. and i have faith that there are brothers and sisters and brother and all over the world who are in that common cause. amy: rashida tlaib. -- i grew upfor me in a uaw household and i

remember my father talking about just economic oppression. and it was african-american baptist pastor who said, rashida , this country is not divided, this world is not divided, we're just disconnecteted. in everything how we see our lens, sometimes you must want to clear the glass so that people understand it is the same people trying to impress me as trying to oppress you. one of the things he talked about in labor organizing in the plant, ford motor company, is when you walked in, you are not black or white. you did not know where people live. you did not know this was a returning citizen or what people's faith were. you are part of one family, the uaw. it was one big -- big organization against the corporate greed pushing back insane, i deserve human dignity, i deserve to be able to take care of my family and these

kinds of things. i think globally the economic oppression happening across the country, and you see labor organizing working class coming together and fighting and saying we can do it if we come together and fight against this i think commonon enemy of corporate g gd come of this other ring of sasaying you deserve less than, feel wholole.rve to that is one thing about my father who only had a fourth grade education. when he came to this country at 19, he nether that she never got a paycheck until he got into the plant. the uaw made him feel like he belonged because he was part of something bigger than him. he was showing up for others all of the sudden. and i feel like a lot of ourr mere presence there is also showing up for others that are outside the united states. there was a young girl, eight years old in sacramento, california.

she is palestinian-american like myself. she was kind of doing this thing with her -- she had a blazer. she wantsm like, oh, me to recognize her blazer. i like, i loved her blazer. look, it is so cute. she's like, i'm trying to look like you. and then i was like, forget congress coming up to read for president of the united states. all of this and d she was like ,uh-huh. i felt in that moment, this is connecting at how much it is biggerer, i'm showing up for her and i don't even realize it. this other brother c came to me and he is like, for so long, for so long a lot of palestinians just thought america did not love them. you getting elected by predominately -- i think i have less than 5% arab americans in my district. the majority of my fellow americans don't share my faith come at that bacackground,d, and they elected me. somehow they gave him light in

the moment of darkness. i think that is what we do with our mere presence is just being like we alleaking speak. even how we talk about issues is extremely different and it is somehow connecting globally with so many people outside of the united states. amy: congressmember ilhan omar. >> to the point rashida was talking about is not being divided but disconnected is they how i think about thing that is wrong with the formation of our foreign policy. is that when we engage in the creation of our foreign policy, we are truly disconnected from the four nations that it will impact and -- four nations that it will impact and even the

humans. what we think about capitalism and our trade policies and we think about the creation of jobs forwe think about the fight unionized labor here, oftentimes when we talk about dignified workplace, we don't connect that to be something that someone else deserves in another country. and so when you are thinking about mexico or honduras or el salvador or any of these countries that we might ship our a workingd have environment there, we don't think about the fact that organizations, these corporations are now going to be exploiting workers over there. it is not just that we are losing jobs, but there is literally going to be in exploitation of workers over there. and so when we think about it

now in congress, we are having a conversation about cross-border negotiations happening for workers because all of our destinies are tied together. when you see asa molly refugee o or libyani refugee refugee,e, we often are like, o, this is my neighbor. they must have survived some struggle. we don't ever positive think what american policy made them come over here? when you see a flooding happening in a country abroad and you are urgently raising money for these lives to be saved, you don't think about how have i contributed to the climate warming that has led to catastrophesgs and

that are taking place abroad? when we are now thinking about a new way of reimagining a vision of what our foreign policy should be and a as i wiwill introduce next week our pathway to peace in thinking about the world, it is important for us to have t these connections between what sanctions could meaean the destruction of lives abroad, what human rights conditionalities could mean as we think about people who are using the weapons that are created in this country to take the lives of innocent children and women and men abroad, to really think about what it means for us to use some of the money that we decide should be going ouro militarizing

for thent to using it prospect of peace around the world. and so there is so much that is possible if we stopped using the muscle memory that has become the norm and the ways we formulate our policies. i am justto tell you, a genuine fan. i sit and listen to them and is like a mini ted talk. i learned so much. associate myself with all of the commons already said and i would just underscore that our destinies and our freedoms are tied. --t i want us to get to is you already do it, but we need more. more folk to be intentional and inclusive in our movement building, our coalition building and the breaking down of silos and of challenging folk data haveable outrage -- to

equitable outrage. i need people to understand the link between the humanitarian crisis at the border and babies being ripped from their mother's arms and what happenened in my household and millions of amererican households when my father was in and out of the criminal legal system for 14 years for being an added. so i am for the preservation of family from the border -- as i was a my district -- all the way to blue e hill avenunue. it is not a competition. ththere is n no hierarchy. if you are aghast at the crisis of human trafficking globally, then don't look a at what is happening in your own backyard and see that is blight and affecting your property values and not understand the brokenness and not see those folks as your neighbors. if you're concerned about human rights violations and abuses and what is happening to women and

tool, payused as a attention to what is happening here. if you are concerned about the violation that undermines women's rights globally, then pay attention to what is happening with hyde and the gag rule and the roe act and i in or courts. our freedom and our destinies are tied. and what we need to get to his stop what ilhan and i have often referred to as oppression olympics. this is not a competition for who is sinking the fastest. herd.e is no hierarchy of what i''m looking for is equitable outrage, inclusive organizing, and are collective upliftment. ilhan omar ofomen minnesota, alexandria ocasio-cortez of new york,

ayanna pressley of massachusetts, and rashida tlaib of michigan. the was interviewed by democracy at an nermeen shaikh event organized by the rising majority. democracy now! is accepting applications for a paid, year-l-l